Federal authorities say that they have seized counterfeit COVID-19 test kits at the Rochester Airport.
Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection were conducting inspections of express-consignment shipments and selected a package for further examination which turned up 25 COVID-19 test kits that have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Authorities said that since March, customs officers at the Rochester Airport have discovered more than 600 COVID-19 test kits not approved by the FDA.
The FDA has issued an emergency use authorization to about 50 companies that are allowed to distribute test kits, but according to CBP, the companies that manufactured the test kits in the shipments seized at the local airport did not have authorization to sell them in the U.S.
“I’m proud of the continued efforts of our CBP officers here in Rochester,” said Rochester Port Director Ronald Menz. “They work day in and day out to protect our community and prevent illicit items, like these test kits, from entering where they could cause harm or give false results.”
